1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to strong boxes, lockers and safes particulary for use in vehicles such as recreational vehicles and pickup trucks to secure valuables from theft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A patent search was conducted at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to examine safes adapted for use in vehicles to securely store valuables such as money, guns, jewelry and the like. The search was conducted in the following classes and subclasses: 109/23, 24.1, 44, 45, 50, 63, 70/63.
Of the patents examined, the following were considered pertinent to my invention although not structurally identical: A U.S. patent issued to Franko et al in 1984, patent number 4,462,317 entitled LOCK BOXES. The Franko patent teaches a lock box including a pair of box-like base and cover structures having side and end walls configured to over-lap when the base structure is nestingly received in the cover structure. A key-operated lock is carried on the cover structure and is engageable with a receiving formation provided on the base structure. Interfitting formations are provided on the base and cover structures to assist the key-operated lock in releasably retaining the cover structure in place on the base structure. The base structure has a back wall which may be fastened to a mounting surface.
A U.S. patent issued to Sidler in 1985, patent number 4,493,268 teaches a SAFE KEEPING BOX ASSEMBLY of the portable and carrying type, and of a mounting base, the latter being fastened on a supporting surface such as the wall of a room. The assembly further includes a locking arrangement whereby the safety box may be released from the mounting base to be carried about, the base remaining on the supporting wall.
Lokken et al were issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,491 in 1987 for a PORTABLE TRAVEL SAFE that is formed from an outer four-sided hollow tubular elongated structure having a rectangular cross-section with an elongated slot form transverse to the housing and an inner housing having closed end U-shaped members in overlapping leg configuration secured to each other in which one of the legs has a cooperating elongated slot to admit the latch member of a cam lock that is secured to one of the closed ends of the U-shaped members. A tray is provided to secure the valuables within the inner housing and a looped steel cable extends through a pair of slots formed in the edge of one of the closed ends of the U-shaped members.
Hungerford was issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,240 in 1984 for a hand held and/or hard mounted travel safe teaching a portable strong weather proof travel safe used by travelers to keep their essential valuables under their personal control enroute to and from a destination and/or while staying there. When not holding the travel safe, they lockably secure it to well anchored strong structures in guest rooms, rental cars, airports, parks, beaches, etc. In one embodiment, a strong cylindrical weatherproof compartment with a full top entry has integral bottom interfitting receiving structure adapted for securement to complementary receiving structures located in traveler facilities, a first rotatable then lift off strong weatherproof cover fully fitting over the full top entry, and locking mechanism to prevent the unwanted first rotation and then lifting off of the strong weatherproof cover, thereby preventing access to the contents and/or to the secured interfitted receiving structures, so they will continue to keep the travel safe well secured to the complementary receiving structure of a travel facility.
Masse el at were issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,904 in 1985 for a VAULT. The specification describes a paper-currency vault for use in a vehicle such as a taxi cab for storing paper-currency in excess of a predetermined amount during the normal shift of the taxi cab driver so as to discourage robbery attempts on taxi cab drivers, the vault being formed with a housing adapted to be rigidly secured to a support surface in the vehicle, the housing having a chamber adapted to slidably receive a paper-currency receptacle and a slot opening into the chamber and the receptacle when the receptacle is in a closed position, and a key operated lock for selectively locking the receptacle in its closed position.
There are many varying structures of safes, security lockers and strong boxes described in past art patents and available in the market place. However, I am not aware of any similar devices which include all the combined physical structuring and advantages which allow my security safes to function in an improved manner over the past art for the purpose which they are intended.